Management & Operations

L.A. Metro taps Denver transit chief to lead agency

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County transportation officials on Thursday approved hiring Phillip Washington, Denver Regional Transportation District chief as the next head of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro),, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Choosing Washington capped a two-month search for a replacement for Arthur Leahy, who announced in January that he would step down in April after six years as chief executive, according to the Times report.

Washington, who worked for the Denver transit agency for 16 years and served as CEO for the past six years, is credited with completing the $2.2 billion Eagle P3 project, a $2.2 billion public-private partnership, that built the RTD’s East Rail Line, a commuter rail from Denver International Airport to downtown Denver.

The air-conditioned bus includes a kids zone play area, seating, and countertops to accommodate iPad workstations for residents to take a short survey (in English and Spanish) and two wide-screen monitors for presentations.

The Metro Affordable Transportation Connected Housing Program is part of a public-private partnership to loan money to developers to build more affordable housing within a half-mile of transit lines, which in turn could encourage more ridership.